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Path of Exile Mace/Shield LS Templar Build

 Path of Exile Mace/Shield LS Templar Build by Thehealthygamer

This guide really is written for new players. I remember reading build guides and having a zillion questions when I first started so this hopefully will alleviate some of those. The biggest thing to keep in mind is that the more you play the better you understand the game, and these builds really do start to make a lot more sense after 25 levels or so. Also don't stress too much about not having all of the skills the build calls for immediately, you will get those with time and using other skills while you level is perfectly okay!

Link to the youtube video explanation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwxOR0yRdIw

Lightning Strike Templar Playstyle

The playstyle of a lightning strike Templar is in a word, AWESOME. If you like using big shields, being up in the face of the enemy, and smashing everything in sight you're going to love being a LS mace/shield Templar. Nothing fancy. Just lots of lightning and death.

The Theory

Templar's have easy access to nodes which improve the effectiveness of shields, maces, and elemental damage. Combined these nodes lead to a tanky high hit point Templar which can dish out great AOE lightning damage.

30 Pt build

Link to 30 point build.


Take the 40% mana regeneration node first. That regen is very helpful in the early game. Next take the 12% melee damage node and keep taking the melee damage nodes and health nodes until you have lightning strike. From there it's really up to you how you proceed. There is no right way to do it. It all depends on what kind of gear you find. Don't be stuck in the mindset of having to use a shield/mace in the early game. Use whatever you find that gives you the best DPS. The mace/shield only becomes optimal later on as you take the skill points.

If you are having mana issues then fill out the mage nodes first. If you're having survivability problems definitely take the health and armor nodes first(I picked these first because my Templar was in HC).

Final Build

Link to the final build

I found this build on the forums actually but can't for the life of me find that post back, so, credit goes out to whoever originally created this build. I love it!

Past 30 points it's again up to your discretion which direction you want to build first. If you're a new player reading this and feel overwhelmed, don't worry. Once you get 30 skill points you're going to have a much better understanding of the game mechanics which will give you a more clear direction to take your build. For example I find that my character is suffering hugely from a low % to hit so I'm going to take the Resolute Technique keystone before level 40. After that I plan to take the armor and health nodes at the left side of the skill tree and the shield nodes after that.

Equipment

Weapons

Look for weapons with high +% physical damage. Added elemental damage is great as well. Basically, highest physical + elemental damage wins out.

Gear

+life is a really great stat because of all the +life % nodes you take. Go for armor that has lots of armor and ES since you'll take the +armor and energy shield % nodes.

Resists are a must and should be stacked whenever possible. You can ignore accuracy once you take the Resolute Technique keystone.

This section is ongoing and will be updated frequently as I keep leveling my Templar.

Skills

Lightning Strike - You can pick this up from a quest around level 10. It is an attack skill so it bases its damage on your melee stats(your physical weapon, % to hit, attacks per second stats). It converts a percentage of your physical damage to lightning damage. When the skill lands it shoots out three lightning arcs which are guaranteed to hit any mobs they come across(this means the separate lightning strikes don't have separate rolls to see whether they land or hit, they will always hit as long as your primary strike landed as a hit).

Tempest Shield - This makes you do lightning damage to attackers anytime you block with a shield. On my first play-through right now I'm level 33 and still haven't found the Tempest Shield skill. So don't worry too much if you don't find the skill right away. You probably won't start using mace/shields exclusively until you're 40+ anyways.

Wrath - This is an aura that adds lightning damage to your attacks(and anyone else in your party). It's a good boost of DPS and can be picked up from a quest in Act 2.

Decoy Totem - This totem can be picked up in Act 1 from a quest and is very useful when you're leveling. I've found it to be very useful in fighting tough rare/boss mobs. You can run around, drop the totem, and then get three to four good hits in on the mob before it kills your totem. Then just run away and repeat the process.

The skills section is also ongoing and will be updated as I level.

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